Ch.205The Road to Becarium (2)

November 5, 1201.

Three days have passed since we dropped the nuke.

During that time, we’ve continued to press forward, and now we’re docked at a massive bazaar where various airships, planes, and mobile cities stop for a bit of rest and to let the soldiers drain their wallets.

It’s useless to receive wages if there’s nowhere to spend them. For our army on pilgrimage aboard this airship, periodically docking at cities or similar places was one of our essential duties.

If the soldiers were to go on strike, we’d be stranded helplessly in the sky. After pouring so much money into the Sky Warden, that would be an outcome I’d rather avoid.

Anyway… people who permanently reside on these mobile vessels find it difficult to obtain necessary supplies on time, so they periodically or irregularly hold these bazaars. These bazaars function not only as markets but also as diplomatic venues for mobile cities and nations that otherwise have extremely limited contact with each other.

It’s easier to understand if you think of it as closer to the habits of mechanized nomads rather than those of settled cities.

Looking at the list of participating cities and merchant groups at the bazaar, I noticed there were no restrictions against outsiders, so besides us, there were many other outsiders and adventurers visible, though not in great numbers since foot-traveling adventurers couldn’t easily reach such bazaars.

“What do they mainly sell at the bazaar?”

“Mostly implants for physical enhancement.”

“Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Limited space. Limited resources. Plus, mobile nations frequently clash with other nations. Harsh environments combined with rough diplomacy necessitate powerful soldiers, and to achieve that, they’ve heavily invested in implant businesses that offer high returns relative to their size. Unlike nations that struggle to obtain rare elements, these people can literally ‘walk’ to get what they need.”

“Oh ho! Then my soldiers could become stronger.”

“Don’t get your hopes up too much. At best, half of them are just built-in grenade launchers in arms or retractable blades.”

“And the other half?”

“Well… things like jump enhancement or skeletal modifications. I’ve heard there are also bulletproof or blade-resistant skin modifications.”

“Hmm… maybe I should get some blades put in my body too.”

With these thoughts, I gazed at the spectacle of dozens of mobile cities that had stopped as our airship gradually descended.

Cities supported by thousands of small legs. Cities held up by a few thick, beam-like jointed legs. Cities resting on caterpillar tracks and outer wheels, and cities floating gently on massive repulsor lift engines—all clustered together, making it look like one enormously vast city.

“Don’t you have any aversion to implants?”

“Well… I used to, but now if there’s a bug or malfunction, you just fix it with aura.”

Aura is the power of the soul, not the body.

As long as the cable of the mind is connected, aura can be imbued into anything.

It’s just so damn difficult that most of humanity goes their entire lives without ever managing to imbue aura into even a single sword.

Using implants doesn’t damage your humanity or drive you insane. We’ve often heard stories about lunatics with excessive implants committing massacres, but that’s ultimately about cramming so much metal into their bodies that the cable of the mind couldn’t recognize it anymore.

In other words, it’s just a case of an already crazy person getting implants and inevitably exploding.

“Ah, but aura user implants must be quite expensive, right?”

“You made plenty of money in Zirconia, so how you spend it is up to you. However, for the soldiers, we’ll need to implement some regulations.”

“What do you mean?”

“Overly avant-garde implants could disrupt the army’s atmosphere.”

“Ah, I see.”

I understand what he’s saying.

In Parsifal, some old man had LEDs implanted in his eyeballs that changed colors to the beat of trot music, and the police came and plucked his eyes out.

“What about you? Anything you’d like to get implanted?”

“Um… I’d like an implant that prevents sweat from accumulating under my chest, and one that keeps my hair looking good all the time.”

“Ah… women’s bestsellers, I see.”

*

-As ordered by Lord Victor, all enlisted personnel (non-commissioned officers and soldiers) are permitted body enhancements up to one gold coin, and officers up to five gold coins. Also, conduct yourselves wisely by filtering out implants that don’t match the army’s atmosphere to avoid future disadvantages.-

No sooner had the brigade commander’s voice echoed throughout the airship than we landed at the port. I led my party members outside the Sky Warden to meet the receptionists approaching us.

“Welcome to the bazaar. Please provide the name and affiliation of your airship, as well as the name of the person in charge.”

“The Sky Warden. We’re independent. And I, Victor Walker, Knight of the Sun’s Journey, am in charge.”

“Confirmed. What is your purpose?”

“Trade and body enhancement.”

“Do you happen to command soldiers?”

“Yes, about 10,000 of them.”

“Ah! In that case, your party is free to move around, but your soldiers must follow our control. Accommodating 10,000 people could cause the market to burst at the seams… and the higher-ups don’t look kindly upon unaffiliated armies wandering about.”

“That’s perfectly understandable. However, the soldiers’ individual commercial activities must not be hindered.”

“Of course, Lord Victor.”

With those words, the receptionist asked for our understanding and made a call somewhere.

“Hello? Supervisor? Code 30-13. Yes. An independent army…. Yes. A knight’s soldiers.”

%$@#$@^

“The scale is about 10,000 people… They’re looking for body implants. Yes… Yes… To Zone 98… Yes… Understood.”

%@#$@

“Yes.”

After the brief conversation ended, the receptionist smiled again and addressed us.

“That’s settled now. Please have your soldiers wait until our guides arrive, and you all are free to enjoy the bazaar.”

“Ah, where should I go for aura user implants?”

“You’ll need to go to the central area for those. As you know, aura user implants require magical processing…”

“Hmm… I see.”

I nodded and began leading my party toward the center of the bazaar.

*

“Simon, are you going to get something implanted too?”

“Hmm. I’m thinking of getting an enhanced exoskeleton procedure. As you know, spell casters of my caliber tend to have weak bodies. An enhanced exoskeleton should help with that. While I’m at it, I’ll also get a posture corrector to prevent falling over easily and replace my joints.”

“Well, you did pocket a 10,000 coin bonus, so you can do whatever you want.”

“Hehehe.”

Simon chuckled while stroking his beard.

A cyborg wizard, huh. Wizards aren’t that common, so I haven’t seen one before, but if Simon answers so casually, many wizards must receive such procedures.

Indeed, if mana weakens the body, powerful archmages like Felice would be unable to function in daily life. Though she appears natural on the outside, she might have completely replaced her skeleton on the inside.

“What about the elves and dwarves?”

“We’re looking to enhance our hearing. And add some metal plating to our fingers. Shooting so many arrows has given us calluses.”

“I’ve been planning to implant an odor neutralizer and heat-resistant skin! I’m sick and tired of the smell of limestone and ash seeping into my beard!”

“I see.”

I was planning to focus on defense first. Most attacks might be blocked by armor, but armor doesn’t necessarily cushion the impact.

Lost in these thoughts, we found ourselves at the center of the bazaar.

“See any good shops?”

“Here. This one looks good.”

As I turned my head, I saw the dwarf brothers hopping up and down at the entrance of a large shop.

“Here? Why?”

“Dwarf intuition.”

“Intuition…”

If he puts it that way, how am I supposed to respond as a human…

But standing here blankly wouldn’t yield any answers, and trusting a comrade’s judgment was part of my role as party leader.

“Alright. Let’s go here.”

Taking a deep breath, I led my party members into the shop, where we saw numerous mechanical arms and legs hanging from the ceiling, and various artificial organs displayed on shelves.

…I feel like I’ve seen a place like this somewhere before… Where was it?

Ah, I remember. When I went to Dreisen to get my mark engraved, the engraver’s house looked exactly like this.

I don’t quite remember the engraver’s name, but I vaguely recall it was a man.

“Welcome.”

A greeting that was half friendly and half casual reached my ears, and I made my way forward through the sea of limbs.

“Seven customers here!”